This phase I/II partially randomized trial studies the side effects and best dose of veliparib when given together with radiation therapy, carboplatin, and paclitaxel and to see how well it works in treating patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer that cannot be removed by surgery. Veliparib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Radiation therapy uses high energy x rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as carboplatin and paclitaxel, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. It is not yet known whether radiation therapy, carboplatin, and paclitaxel are more effective with or without veliparib in treating non-small cell lung cancer.

MTD of veliparib when given concurrently with standard carboplatin/paclitaxel and radiotherapy, determined according to incidence of dose limiting toxicity graded using NCI CTCAE version 4.0 (Phase I) [ Time Frame: 9 weeks ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]

PFS of patients treated with chemoradiotherapy plus veliparib (Phase II), assessed by RECIST [ Time Frame: The time from randomization to progression or death due to any cause, assessed up to 5 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

The maximum grade of toxicity for each category of interest will be recorded for each patient and the summary results will be tabulated by category, grade and dose level. Serious (>= grade 3) toxicities will be described on a patient-by-patient basis and will include any relevant baseline data. A stratified chi-square test will be used to compare toxicity between the two arms.

Objective response rate, assessed by RECIST (Phase II) [ Time Frame: Up to 5 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Point estimation and confidence interval estimation will be done for response rate. A stratified chi-square test will be used to compare response between the two arms

Overall survival (Phase II) [ Time Frame: Up to 5 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Survival data will be analyzed using Kaplan-Meier analysis. A stratified log-rank test will be used to compare overall survival. Median, 2-year, 3-year, and 5-year survival will be calculated.

PFS (Phase II) [ Time Frame: The duration of time from start of treatment to time of progression or death, whichever occurs first, assessed up to 5 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Survival data will be analyzed using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Time to progression will be displayed for all patients and for patients who have responded.

Patients undergo 3D-CRT and receive veliparib, carboplatin, and paclitaxel as in Phase I induction and consolidation therapy.

Radiation: 3-Dimensional Conformal Radiation Therapy

Undergo 3D-conformal RT

Other Names:

3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy

3-dimensional radiation therapy

3D-CRT

Conformal Therapy

Radiation Conformal Therapy

Drug: Carboplatin

Given IV

Other Names:

Blastocarb

Carboplat

CARBOPLATIN

Carboplatin Hexal

Carboplatino

Carbosin

Carbosol

Carbotec

CBDCA

Displata

Ercar

JM-8

Nealorin

Novoplatinum

Paraplat

Paraplatin

Paraplatin AQ

Paraplatine

Platinwas

Ribocarbo

Other: Laboratory Biomarker Analysis

Correlative studies

Drug: Paclitaxel

Given IV

Other Names:

Anzatax

Asotax

Bristaxol

PACLITAXEL

Praxel

Taxol

Taxol Konzentrat

Drug: Veliparib

Given PO

Other Names:

ABT-888

PARP-1 inhibitor ABT-888

VELIPARIB

Active Comparator: Arm II (3D-CRT, placebo, carboplatin, paclitaxel)

Patients undergo 3D-CRT as in arm I. Patients also receive placebo PO BID on days 1-43 and carboplatin and paclitaxel as in Phase I. Within 4-6 weeks after completion of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, patients receive placebo on days 1-7 and carboplatin and paclitaxel as in Phase I.

Per the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 7th edition, pleural and pericardial are now considered stage M1a disease; when pleural fluid is visible on the computed tomography (CT) scan or on a chest x-ray, a thoracentesis is required to confirm that the pleural fluid is cytologically negative; patients with exudative pleural effusions are excluded, regardless of cytology; patients with effusions that are minimal (i.e. not visible on chest x-ray) that are too small to safely tap are eligible; a small effusion that has positive fludeoxyglucose F 18 (FDG) uptake on positron emission tomography (PET) has to be proven to be malignant per standard of care diagnostic procedures for the patient to be excluded

Patients must have measurable or non-measurable disease documented by CT, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or PET/CT; the CT from a combined PET/CT may be used to document only non-measurable disease unless the scan is of diagnostic quality; measurable disease must be assessed by CT within 28 days prior to registration; pleural effusions, ascites and laboratory parameters are not acceptable as the only evidence of disease; non-measurable disease must be assessed within 42 days prior to registration; all disease must be assessed and documented on the Baseline Tumor Assessment Form

Patients with brain metastases are ineligible; all patients must have a pretreatment CT or MRI scan of the brain to evaluate for central nervous system (CNS) disease within 42 days prior to registration

Patients must not have received any prior systemic therapy (chemotherapy or other biologic therapy) for lung cancer

Patients must not have received prior chest radiation therapy for NSCLC

Patients must not have had a previous surgical resection; however, patients may have undergone exploratory thoracotomy, mediastinoscopy, excisional biopsy or similar surgery for the purpose of determining the diagnosis, stage or potential resectability of newly diagnosed lung tumor; at least 28 days must have elapsed since thoracic surgery (excluding mediastinoscopy or other minor surgeries) and patients should have recovered from all associated toxicities at the time of registration; patients must not be planning to undergo a minor surgical procedure while on this study

Patients must have Zubrod performance status 0-1

Patients must have tumor tissue available for submission to assess gene expression of ERCC1 and XRCC1; patients must also be offered participation in banking for future use of specimens

Patients must not be pregnant or nursing; women/men of reproductive potential must have agreed to use an effective contraceptive method; a woman is considered to be of "reproductive potential" if she has had menses at any time in the preceding 12 consecutive months; in addition to routine contraceptive methods, "effective contraception" also includes heterosexual celibacy and surgery intended to prevent pregnancy (or with a side-effect of pregnancy prevention) defined as a hysterectomy, bilateral oophorectomy or bilateral tubal ligation; however, if at any point a previously celibate patient chooses to become heterosexually active during the time period for use of contraceptive measures outlined in the protocol, he/she is responsible for beginning contraceptive measures

Patients must have a serum creatinine =< the IULN AND measured or calculated creatinine clearance >= 60 cc/min

Patients must have pulmonary function tests (PFTs) including forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) within 84 days prior to registration; for FEV1, the best value obtained pre- or post-bronchodilator must be >= 1.2 liters/second and/or >= 50% predicted

Patients may not be planning to receive any other investigational agents

Patients must not have more than 10% weight loss in the past 6 months

Patients must not have a history of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to ABT-888, carboplatin, paclitaxel or other agents used in study

No other prior malignancy is allowed except for the following: adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, in situ cervical cancer, adequately treated stage I or II cancer from which the patient is currently in complete remission, or any other cancer from which the patient has been disease free for five years

Patient must not have any uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements

Patients must not currently have a >= grade 1 symptomatic neuropathy-sensory (National Cancer Institute [NCI] Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events [CTCAE] version 4.0)

Patients must not have a history of seizures

Patients must not have any known immune deficiencies; patients with immune deficiency are at increased risk of lethal infections when treated with marrow-suppressive therapy; therefore, known human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive patients receiving combination anti-retroviral therapy are excluded from the study

Patients must be able to swallow whole capsules

Prestudy history and physical must be obtained within 28 days prior to registration

All patients must be informed of the investigational nature of this study and must sign and give written informed consent in accordance with institutional and federal guidelines

As a part of the Oncology Patient Enrollment Network (OPEN) registration process the treating institution's identity is provided in order to ensure that the current (within 365 days) date of institutional review board approval for this study has been entered in the system

REGISTRATION #2 - PRIOR TO CONSOLIDATION CHEMOTHERAPY:

REGISTRATION #2 - PRIOR TO CONSOLIDATION CHEMOTHERAPY: Patients must have completed chemoradiotherapy per protocol and at least four weeks but no more than six weeks must have elapsed from the last day of induction therapy (the last day of radiation)

REGISTRATION #2 - PRIOR TO CONSOLIDATION CHEMOTHERAPY: Patients must have undergone restaging tests according to the study calendar and determined to have no evidence of disease progression

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Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01386385